Average Joe Contest
Words of caution often follow the top consensus plays in any NFL contest. It seems that those may be apropos when it comes to the free Edge Boost/VSiN Average Joe Contest. Those that like to “fade the public” are doing well in the contest based on what we’ve seen out of the consensus picks thus far. But, that doesn’t mean it is going to stay that way.
If you haven’t signed up for the Edge Boost/VSiN Average Joe Contest, you still can, even if we are in Week 6 of the college football season and Week 5 of the NFL season. While the deadline has passed for this week, the weekly and quarterly prizes still mean that you have the chance at some prizes in this free contest. So you don’t even have to put your money where your mouth is. Just your picks where your mouth is.
See the Average Joe Contest Rules and sign up if you are interested. Also, if you have an existing account with Edge Boost, the $500 weekly prize turns into a $1,000 weekly prize. The prize is deposited into an Edge Boost account already, so why not have one to begin with and use the promo code VSiN when you sign up.
NFL Picks Week 5
We’re kind of known for Betting Splits around here, as we have them from both DraftKings and Circa, but we’re also tracking the Average Joe Contest Betting Splits. These are posted each week to give you some insights into which spreads and totals are popular and which ones are not.
Here are the three most popular sides of the week:
Lions (86%) -10 vs. Bengals
The Burrow-less Bengals are pretty depressing these days and the Lions have been surging, scoring 124 points over their last three games. Of the 584 contestants to jump in on this game, 505 of them took the Lions, leading to the highest percentage of the week. Cincinnati managed to pull out the game where Jake Browning entered in relief, but have lost by 38 and 25 in the two games since.
Chiefs (84%) -3 vs. Jaguars
Are the Chiefs back? That seems to be the overriding takeaway from last week’s Kansas City win over Baltimore. Having Xavier Worthy back kickstarted an offense that was stuck in the mud to begin the season. A 17-point win over Baltimore is certainly impressive, though the Ravens aren’t up to their usual standards themselves. Nevertheless, Average Joe contestants are backing the road favorite on Monday Night Football. The Jaguars do have more support (124) than the Bengals in the previous game, but 631 of the 755 selections are on KC.
Cardinals (71%) -7 vs. Titans
Chalk is once again the flavor of the week here, as the Cardinals were picked by 205 of the 288 selections in this game. The Ravens (70%) did have a higher raw pick count number against the Texans, but this was the game with the higher percentage. Cam Ward’s comments didn’t seem to inspire a lot of Tennessee backers here, as he was, um, blunt about how his team has played thus far in his postgame media availability. And, hey, the new Call of Duty game isn’t out until November 14, so we can assume Kyler Murray still cares about the NFL season.
Here are the three most popular totals of the week:
Cowboys/Jets Over 48 (96%)
A whopping 96% of pickers are hoping for points at The Meadowlands on Sunday. Of the 351 picks on this game, 338 of them are on the Over. Considering that the Cowboys have already played games with 80 and 77 points, you can see why contestants would think that way. The Jets have had two games go Over this total, with 66 points in Week 1 against the Steelers and 56 points in Week 3 against the Bucs.
Raiders/Colts Over 47.5 (92%)
Imagine thinking you’d be excited to bet the Over in a game quarterbacked by Daniel Jones. But, he’s found a new lease on life in Indy and the Colts have been one of the league’s most efficient offenses. The Colts have averaged better than 30 points per game and the Raiders have given up just shy of 25 points per contest. Of course, the Raiders have also only scored 77 points over four games this season, so contestants are going to need them to contribute a little bit here. To get to 92%, 141 of the 153 pickers are on the Over.
Vikings/Browns Under 36 (81%)
Bright and early football from London gets the NFL Sunday underway and it would appear that Average Joe Contest players are rooting for an ugly game to start things off. Dillon Gabriel makes his starting debut here and does so against Brian Flores’ notoriously blitz-heavy defense. The Browns have the top defense in the league by yards per play. This one certainly has the makings of an Under in the minds of most.
See all of the pick counts, including college football, on the Average Joe Contest Betting Splits page.
